Help with Focusing on the Spiritual Eye

Nirja India

Question

Dear friend,

Every time I try and focus on the third eye whilst meditating, my eyes feel stressed and hurt. Am I supposed to pull my eyes up and focus on the space between the eyes, or draw my attention there whilst looking straight? I have this dull ache in the region as well.

Could you also help me with some advice about forgiving someone? I have tried praying for him, but the end was just so disrespectful towards me that I can’t bring myself to offer a genuine one that makes me feel stuck in the past.

Answer

Dear Nirja,

In the practice of meditation, when you experience “hurting eyes,” it is generally caused by tension or eyestrain, from trying to position the eyes awkwardly. Avoid straining the muscles of your eyes, trying to look between your eyes brows.

Try this: sit up right, make a fist with your right hand, and then extend your right arm straight ahead. Lift your right thumb up, and raise your arm just a few inches beyond the horizon. Gaze at your thumb nail. Then close your eyes, and visualize your thumb nail. This is where your eyes should gaze, when meditating, out and slightly up, as if you are gazing at a ball of light, slightly above the horizon level.

The eyes should remain either level (in the beginning) or a little upward, but with no strain. Relax the eyes. It’s sort of like looking outward over the sea toward a rising sun or moon. Eventually the eyes may become lifted or are drawn more upward toward the third eye area of their own accord, but this should happen completely without strain or effort.

Regarding forgiveness. Here is what Yoganandaji offered. Please practice it for at least a week and it will help you.

Peace and Harmony Prayer

This is a prayer of Yogananda’s that is very helpful when you are having difficulty with another person:

“Visualize the person in question in the Divine Light and then pray from your heart ‘Lord, fill him/her with peace and harmony, peace and harmony.’ Repeat this over and over for about a minute. Then visualize yourself in a divine light and say ‘Lord, fill me with peace and harmony,’ for 15 seconds.

“Do this 5 times a day. 3 or 4 times might work, but 5 times practically never fails.”